Oregon’s solar industry faces a great deal of change in 2026—but with change also comes opportunity. Here are eight things to look forward to over the coming year.
- Increased incentives for market rate customers
Energy Trust opened 2026 residential incentives early to help contractors get a jump start on the year. New increased incentives for market rate customers will help provide a softer cushion as the industry transitions away from federal tax credits. The incentive budget also still provides support for priority customer groups and high-value technologies like paired battery storage, but we heard the industry’s feedback to help support project volume first and foremost.
- Streamlined incentive reductions
Beginning in 2026, incentive rates for solar and battery storage projects for residential and business customers will step down on a quarterly schedule (January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1). Energy Trust manages a fixed annual budget for solar+storage projects with the goal of reducing incentives over time to support more customers as market demand increases. Future incentive rates are subject to change but will lock in 30 days before the start of each subsequent quarter. This change will help both contractors and staff by providing more visibility and predictability into future incentives with less administrative burden to manage changes or track remaining allocations.
- Innovative solar financing solutions
Energy Trust has teamed up with Inclusive Prosperity Capital Inc., a nonprofit financing platform, and local lenders to offer Smart-E Loans, a nationally proven model to make it even easier for customers to fit solar into their budget and feel confident in financing. Qualified trade allies can sign up for Smart-E training by reaching out to smart-e@energytrust.org.
- Expanded marketing activity
Expect to see more coordinated marketing campaigns across the state promoting solar+storage and Energy Trust cash incentives. These efforts will help raise awareness, build trust, and generate demand, especially in underrepresented communities and emerging markets and will drive activity to the Energy Trust website and the Solar Trade Ally Network.
- Customer lead generation
To effectively harness customer interest, Energy Trust will keep facilitating our free customer bid request process, while passing along free high-quality customer leads to qualified trade allies. We’ll continue to streamline and improve this process to help drive down customer acquisition costs for contractors.
- Stacked incentives with Pacific Power’s Wattsmart Program
Customers receiving battery storage incentives from Energy Trust are now able to enroll in Pacific Power’s Wattsmart Battery Program. Eligible installations are now able to combine incentives to help reduce the cost burden for customers. This pairing helps improve customer resilience while also enabling important grid services. Learn more here.
- Business Development Funds
All solar trade allies are eligible to receive $3,000 to $4,000 in Business Development Funds each year. These funds can be used to reimburse business expenses such as marketing, trade-specific tools, business software, professional development, and more. Pre-approval is required for all purchases. Please visit the Insider page for more information.
- …And more to come
From policy updates to new incentive offers, 2026 is shaping up to be a year of innovation and impact. Stay tuned for announcements that could further expand opportunities for solar across Oregon.